"Sucker Punch," a mostly female action-fantasy that's new in theaters this weekend, stars an up-and-comeras a gun-toting, sword-swinging killer with a deceptively sweet name. She dispatches zombies and robots with brutality, but she also wears a thigh-high skirt. Here's a look at 10 of the toughest lady killers ever to hit the big screen, from Western gunslingers to alien killers.
Skip ahead for our tributes to:
In the gender-bending 1954 Western "Johnny Guitar," this silver-screen legend (see photos) wore the pants and packed the pistols, while co-star Sterling Haydenmostly strummed.
As the leader of a girl gang in Russ Meyer's 1965 sexploitation classic, "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!," this black-haired powerhouse (see photos) kills a man with her bare hands.
As Ripley in 1979's "Alien" (see photos), she turned a distressed-damsel role into a tough-as-nails character who survived through three more films (what's the latest one?).
This star of a baseball movie classic (see photos) played the title role in 1995's "Tank Girl," the negatively reviewed adaptation of the sci-fi comic books. Perhaps it was ahead of its time.
This legendary actor's granddaughter (see photos) starred as a deceptively pretty assassin in 1993's "Point of No Return," though Luc Besson's original 1990 French version, "Nikita," remains a landmark among action chick flicks.
The cat-eyed actress (see photos) has helped make the pulpy "Resident Evil" franchise, based on a video game, a dependable seller at the box office since 2002.
Her otherworldly beauty (see photos) made her an odd but surprisingly effective choice in Quentin Tarantino's ultraviolent "Kill Bill" movies.
In 2009's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," the Swedish actress originated the role of
goth-punk bisexual sleuth Lisbeth Salander (see photos), the heroine in a best-selling trilogy (buy the books). Fans are waiting to see if Rooney Mara can fill her boots in the upcoming American version (who will be her co-star?).
In last year's "Kick-Ass," this sassy young actress (see photos) played the 11-year-old superhero Hit Girl, racking up a sky-high body count and cursing a blue streak.
One of the few widely successful female action stars, Jolie (see photos) recently took the lead in the CIA thriller "Salt," a role originally written for a man. Her "Lara Croft" franchise is set for a relaunch; her replacement has not been announced.
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